The public is right to be concerned that Cong went missing from Toronto's Centre for Mental Health and Addictions (CAMH) earlier this month, and apparently managed to leave the country. CAMH and Toronto police have launched reviews of what happened, and the results must be made public.

But Ford's misguided remarks show a lack of understanding of how the law has evolved to take into account the impact of mental illness. Worse, he appears to be ignorant of some core principles of the criminal justice system.

For one thing, the system is set up to rarely "throw away the key." Even the worst offenders are usually given a chance for parole.